GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University softball team will play a 54-game regular season slate, including 22 South Atlantic Conference contests, throughout the spring of 2026.

Going into her 14th year as the Pioneer head coach, Julie Huebner has the 350-win milestone within her grasp. Currently at 335 victories, the second-winningest mentor in program history has a roster built of 13 returners, eight freshmen, and four transfers.

The TU season begins at home on February 4 against Bluefield State. The Pioneers also opened 2025 at home against the Big Blue, shutting them out in both contests. Tusculum has won all four meetings over the West Virginia team, with three coming by run-rule. BSU went 14-30 overall last season, including 6-10 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).

For the second-straight season, the Pioneers will participate in the two-day Big Region Preseason Invitational. King is the hosting team, with the event taking place at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City from February 7-8. Tusculum is scheduled to face the hosting Tornado, Converse, Glenville State, and Davis & Elkins.

King went 28-23 overall and 15-9 in Conference Carolinas action in 2025. Tusculum won all three meetings last season to bring the all-time series to 43-13 in the Pioneers' favor. The Tornado advanced to the league's tournament as the seventh seed, but were upset in the opener.

Tusculum is a perfect 13-0 against Converse, including a run-rule victory in last year's Invitational. The Valkyries entered the Conference Carolinas Tournament as the No. 11 seed and lost in the play-in game to finish 19-30 (11-13 CC).

Glenville State comes out of the Mountain East, going 36-17 (22-8 MEC) last season. The GSU Pioneers were seeded as the top team in the South bracket but were eliminated by the eventual champion on day three in the semifinals. Tusculum holds a 5-1 lead in the series over Glenville State, but the teams have not seen one another since 2018.

Tusculum also holds a 5-1 mark against Davis & Elkins in the limited meetings between 2019-23. The Senators went 28-28 (20-10 MEC) and entered the league tournament as the No. 3 seed in the South bracket, falling out on day two of the event.

The Pioneers return home to face North Greenville on February 12. The Trailblazers swept TU in 2025 to close the gap to 19-17 in the all-time meetings. NGU went 35-21 (14-10 CC) to collect the No. 8 seed in their conference tournament, advancing through the winner's bracket before falling in the championship.

Tusculum will take part in the two-day Swamp Fox Sizzler at Francis Marion over Valentine's weekend. The Pioneers will have a Valentine's Day date with Ferris State for two games before taking on the hosting Patriots in a doubleheader on the 15th.

TU and FSU have not seen each other in recorded program history, but that streak is set to end this year. The Bulldogs went 28-21 and 16-12 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and earned its first NCAA tournament berth since 2013. Tusculum picked up a Bulldog (Catherine O'Donohue) from the transfer portal over the summer.

FMU is coming off of a historic season which saw the Patriots collect a 53-6 (23-1 CC) record, a No. 10 national ranking, an NCAA Super Regional appearance, and a third-straight Conference Carolinas Tournament title. Francis Marion leads the series over Tusculum by a 16-4-1 margin, but have not faced off since 2022. The Patriots were also listed 10th in the national preseason poll.

Tusculum hits a busy stretch with four home doubleheaders in a seven-day span from February 18-24.

Emmanuel will come to Greeneville on the 18th. The Pioneers and Lions were scheduled to meet last season but weather interfered. TU leads the all-time series 3-1 with the meetings split between 2021 and 2022. EU went 23-29 (12-12 CC) to claim the No. 10 seed in the Conference Carolinas tournament under a first-year head coach. Emmanuel made a late push at the event before falling in the semifinals.

Barton is next up on the 21st. The teams faced one another last season for the first time in 15 years in the Big Region event with Tusculum winning via run-rule, extending the all-time lead to 4-1. The Bulldogs will be under new leadership this season after going 27-23 (11-13 CC). BC earned the No. 3 seed in the league tournament, bowing out in the semifinals.

Tusculum makes a quick turnaround with Young Harris on the 22nd. TU has won four-straight in the series to trail 9-7, with the last loss to the Mountain Lions coming at the NCAA regionals in 2021. YHC went 22-23 (13-11 CC) last season, falling in the opening round of their league tournament as the No. 9 seed. 

The Pioneers won all three games in 2025 over Lees-McRae, who makes the short trip to Tusculum on February 24. TU now leads the all-time series 35-13. The Bobcats finished with a 9-37 (3-21 CC) last season, failing to earn a spot in the postseason.

Tusculum will play just its second true road doubleheader of the season on February 28. The Pioneers will travel to Belmont Abbey to square off against a familiar face in the opposing dugout. Samantha "Sammie" West, who played for Tusculum from 2017-20, is the first-year head coach for the Crusaders. West takes over the squad that went 21-25 (8-16 CC) and failed to reach the postseason. TU has the 11-3 advantage in the series history.

The Pioneers will play just two home series in the month of March, including the opener against Lock Haven on the 6th. The Bald Eagles, out of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), will make their first-ever trip to Greeneville as the teams have never faced off. Lock Haven went 15-27 (9-23 PSAC) last season, missing out on the postseason. LHU returns 2025 national Freshman of the Year finalist Blaire Balestrini to its lineup.

The next four doubleheaders will take place away from Red Edmonds Field.

Tusculum opens South Atlantic Conference play at Coker on March 10. The Cobras went 12-30 (5-19 SAC), finishing at the bottom of the league standings. The Pioneers have won the last eight contests to extend their series lead to 17-11 all-time.

TU returns to South Carolina on the 14th to take on Anderson. The Trojans' long-time head coach retired after the 2025 season and are now led by Tusculum alumna Kelly (King) Roberts, the second Pioneer alumnae that will face their former team in 2026. AU went 28-24 (13-11 SAC) to finish in a three-way tie for fourth in the SAC standings, entering the postseason as the No. 6 seed, bowing out in the opening round. The all-time series is tied at 19-all between Tusculum and Anderson.

Tusculum will make a quick trip up to King in Bristol for a rematch on March 17.

The Pioneers end their road stint at UVA Wise on March 21. The Cavaliers went 21-26 (7-17 SAC) to finish 12th in the league standings. Tusculum swept UVA Wise last season to improve to 26-6 all-time in the series.

TU finally returns home on March 24 to host archrival Carson-Newman. The Eagles won four meetings over the Pioneers in 2025, all in Jefferson City, including bumping Tusculum from the SAC Tournament in the opening round. C-N finished the year 28-20 (13-11 SAC), winning the three-way tie for fourth in the SAC. The Eagles went 0-2 on the second weekend of the league tournament.

Tusculum hits the road for consecutive series at Wingate (March 28) and Lincoln Memorial (March 31) to wrap up the month.

The Bulldogs have had a historic stint with three-straight SAC regular season titles and four consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including a runner-up finish in their respective regional bracket. Wingate went 39-23 (18-6 SAC) in 2025 as the Pioneers managed a split in the doubleheader at Red Edmonds Field. The Bulldogs will be under new leadership in 2026.

LMU will look for revenge as Tusculum eliminated the Railsplitters from the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Lincoln Memorial finished the season with a 34-20 (15-9 SAC) mark, entering the SAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. LMU fell in the league semifinals and went 0-2 at regionals as the six-seed.

April begins with four-straight home series for Tusculum, kicking off with an April Fool's Day rematch against Converse.

Catawba comes to Greeneville on April 3. The Catawba Indians had a perfectly even year, finishing 23-23 (12-12 SAC). They were a part of the three-way tie for seventh in the standings but lost the tiebreak to sit just outside the postseason. Catawba and Tusculum split the season series as the Indians hold a one-game margin in previous meetings (29-28).

On April 7, Tusculum has the chance to reach 50+ wins over an opponent for the first time in program history. The Pioneers lead the series over Mars Hill 49-27 since the first recorded meeting in 1993. The Lions went 22-24 (12-12 SAC) and were involved in the jumble for seventh-place. MHU squeaked into the SAC Tournament as the No. 8 seed but fell to the top team in the opening round.

Lenoir-Rhyne visits Tusculum on April 11, winners of back-to-back SAC Tournament titles. The Bears went 38-19 (16-8 SAC) to finish as the runner-up in their regional bracket. LR went a perfect 5-0 in the SAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed to earn the third slot in the regional. TU recorded a split with the Bears in Hickory last season. Lenoir-Rhyne was tabbed 19th nationally in the preseason poll. The games have also been designated as "Alumni Weekend".

Tusculum steps out of conference play with a doubleheader at Lee on April 14. The Flames went 25-25 overall and 12-20 in Gulf South action to finish ninth in the standings and the first team out of the postseason. TU and Lee have not faced off since 2022 with the Flames leading the series 27-17. The teams were supposed to meet last season but weather intervened. 

The Pioneers' last home series of the regular season is scheduled for April 18 against Emory & Henry. Tusculum has six seniors on the roster that will be honored prior to the doubleheader against the Wasps. E&H finished 31-21 (12-12 SAC), winning the tiebreaker for seventh in the SAC Tournament. Tusculum still leads the all-time series 7-4-1 despite a pair of run-rule victories for Emory & Henry last season.

Tusculum's final non-conference tuneup is set for April 21 at Lander. The Bearcats went 25-25 overall and 11-12 in Peach Belt play. Lander was the No. 5 seed in their respective tournament, bowing out in the semifinals. The Pioneers swept the doubleheader in the regular season finale to narrow the Bearcat lead to 12-10 all-time.

The 2026 regular season finale is scheduled for April 25 at Newberry. The Wolves ended one game out of the tiebreaker for a 10th place finish to miss out on the postseason at 23-30 (11-13 SAC). Tusculum and Newberry split for the fifth-straight season to maintain the tie in the series at 27-all.

The South Atlantic Conference Tournament will remain the same in 2026. The event will be played over two weekends (May 1-3, 7-9), with the top eight seeds qualifying for the postseason event. The top four teams will host the bottom four teams over the first weekend, with the highest remaining seed playing host to the remaining teams for the second weekend, all in a double-elimination format.

The NCAA Southeast Regionals will be hosted by the highest two seeds from May 14-16, while the Super Regionals will be held the next week (May 21-22). The selection and seeding date is scheduled for May 11.

The NCAA Division II Softball Championship will take place May 28-June 3 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at Frost Stadium at Warner Park. The finals will be jointly hosted by Lee University, University of North Georgia, and Chattanooga Sports.